Epic David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star! set out this summer

New David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star! box set chronicles Ziggy Stardust-era across six discs

David Bowie Rock ’N’ Roll Star!, a 5CD and 1 Blu-Ray Audio collection, is scheduled for release by Parlophone Records on 14 June.

The epic set explores David Bowie’s journey from February 1971 through the creation of the Ziggy Stardust character and the recording of the iconic The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars album.

Through UK radio sessions and TV performances, as well as live tracks from Ziggy and the Spiders’ 1 October 1972 show at the Boston Music Hall, the box captures the international mania that surrounded the Ziggy phenomenon in the form of.

Epic Collection

Containing 29 unreleased tracks, Rock ’N’ Roll Star! covers early songwriting demos, recordings from David’s band, The Arnold Corns, rehearsals at Bowie’s then-home, Haddon Hall, BBC sessions, singles, live performances, plus outtakes and alternative versions from the original album recording sessions, which have been newly mixed by original album producer, Ken Scott.

The first track taken from Rock ’N’ Roll Star!  is Ziggy Stardust (Demo) recorded by Bowie on vocal and acoustic guitar in March 1971 at Haddon Hall in Beckenham. Listen below:

Unheard Versions

Unreleased highlights include an alternative version of Lady Stardust, an unheard version of the deep-cut classic Shadow Man and an up-tempo take of The Who’s I Can’t Explain, which he would later slow down and cover for the Pin Ups album.

The audio-only Blu-Ray disc features the definitive 2012 remaster of the original Ziggy Stardust album in 96kHz/24bit PCM stereo, plus the album and additional mixes from 2003 in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 as well as the singles, outtakes and alternative versions in 96kHz/24 bit PCM stereo.

Unreleased Highlights

The Blu-Ray also includes a version of the Ziggy Stardust album called Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth) taken from Trident Studio tapes dated 15 December 1971, which features an alternative running order and four songs that didn’t make the final album.

This will also be available as a limited vinyl LP on 20 April, 2024 for Record Store Day. In addition, there is a 1LP version of Rock ’N’ Roll Star! compiling the alternative takes and mixes.

The set also contains two books. The first is an extensive 112-page book with detailed liner notes, memorabilia, contemporary reviews and articles, rare photographs, as well as brand-new notes and interviews with Ken Scott, Mark Carr Pritchett and David’s plugger from the time, Anya Wilson. Accompanying the main book is a 36-page compiled reproduction of David’s personal Ziggy era notebooks.

DAVID BOWIE ROCK ’N’ ROLL STAR!

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel
1. Ziggy Stardust *
2. Queen Bitch *
3. Waiting For The Man *
4. Lady Stardust *

Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris
5. Hang On To Yourself
6. Ziggy Stardust
7. Queen Bitch
8. Waiting For The Man
9. Five Years

Old Grey Whistle Test Performance
10. Oh! You Pretty Things (take 1)
11. Queen Bitch
12. Five Years

Disc 3

Sounds Of The 70s: John Peel
1. White Light/White Heat
2. Moonage Daydream
3. Hang On To Yourself
4. Suffragette City
5. Ziggy Stardust

Johnnie Walker Lunchtime Show
6. Starman
7. Space Oddity
8. Changes
9. Oh! You Pretty Things

Sounds Of The 70s: Bob Harris
10. Andy Warhol
11. Lady Stardust
12. White Light/White Heat
13. Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide

Top Of The Pops Performance
14. Starman

Disc 4

1. Round And Round
2. The Supermen (Ziggy session version)
3. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version)
4. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy session outtake)
5. Starman (original single mix)
6. John, I’m Only Dancing (original single version)

Recorded Live At The Music Hall, Boston
7. The Supermen
8. Changes
9. Life On Mars?
10. My Death *
11. John, I’m Only Dancing

Disc 5

1. Looking For A Friend (The Arnold Corns version 2022 mix) *
2. Hang On To Yourself (early Ziggy session take) *
3. Star (take 5 alternative version) *
4. Lady Stardust (take 1 alternative version) *
5. Shadow Man (Ziggy session version) *
6. The Supermen (Ziggy session version 2023 Mix) *
7. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version alternative mix) *
8. Round And Round (alternative mix)
9. It’s Gonna Rain Again (Ziggy session outtake) *
10. Looking For A Friend (Ziggy session version) *
11. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix) *
12. Sweet Head (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix) *
13. Starman (Top Of The Pops version 2022 mix)
14. John, I’m Only Dancing (alternative Trident Studios version) *
15. I Can’t Explain (Trident Studios version) *

Bonus Mix
1. Moonage Daydream (2003 instrumental mix)

*Previously Unreleased

Blu Ray Audio

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Original album mix (96khz/24bit Stereo)

The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars And Extras
2003 5.1 Mixes (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – 96khz/24bit)

Waiting In The Sky (Before The Starman Came To Earth)
Early Ziggy Stardust album tracklisting – December 1971 (96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

The Singles
(96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

Outtakes And Alternative Versions
(96khz/24bit PCM stereo)

Half-Speed Master Tracklist

Side 1
1. Hang On To Yourself (early Ziggy session take)
2. Star (Take 5 alternative version)
3. Lady Stardust (Take 1 alternative version)
4. Shadow Man (Ziggy session version)
5. The Supermen (Ziggy session version 2023 mix)
6. Holy Holy (Ziggy session version alternative mix)
7. Round And Round (alternative mix) +

Side 2
1. Velvet Goldmine (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix)
2. Looking For A Friend (Ziggy session version)
3. It’s Gonna Rain Again (Ziggy sessions outtake)
4. Sweet Head (Ziggy sessions outtake 2022 mix)
5. Starman (Top Of The Pops version 2022 mix)
6. John, I’m Only Dancing (alternative Trident Studios version) *
7. I Can’t Explain (Trident Studios version) *

Pre-order here

Read more: Making “Heroes”

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